Transcript of "Career Development Plan"

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Career Development Plan
Introduction
An integral part of the performance review process is the Career Development Plan (CDP). The Plan
identifies your strengths and areas of development as they relate to your career goal. Creating a
Career Development Plan will help you develop strategies to maximize your opportunities for
meaningful work in the future.
Since your career encompasses all your work experiences, your career goals could include
development needed to fulfill your current role, and/or development needed to move into future
roles. Use this plan for both scenarios. When setting your career development goals, focus first on
your current role. Any development you require to meet your current performance targets or
leadership competencies should take priority for development planning (i.e. any performance
management rating less than 3). Once you are meeting your current role’s expectations, you can
begin development planning for future career goals.
The Plan is designed to be self-directed. With support from your manager and the organization, you
will determine your long and short-term career goals, assess your own developmental needs, create
your development plan to reach your goals and follow through with your plan. Your career
development plan should be an integral part of the performance management process you undergo
with your manager.
The Career Development Plan includes materials to help you think about, plan for and articulate your
personal career development. Completing this process will help you to ensure you have the
knowledge, skills, leadership competencies and abilities you need to successfully achieve your career
goals.
Before you begin….
Revisit your most recent performance review to identify your career interests and training
requirements. Copy this information onto the Career Development Plan.
The Career Explorer is an interactive, self-directed tool to help you create a picture of yourself by
identifying your interests, values, and skills that you already have. It helps you gather and capture a
wealth of information about yourself and potential work opportunities. This information may be
helpful when building your Career Development Plan.
How to use this package of materials
1. The Guide: Read through the guide to help you complete the Career Development Plan.
2. Career Development Plan: Use this form to capture your action plan for your career
development, including: your status in your current role and your future career goals; your
development goal(s); steps to achieve that goal(s); timeframes; obstacles you’ll face; resources you’ll
need; and how to tell when you’ve succeeded.
You should share your completed Career Development Plan with your manager to help him/her
understand your goals and plans and identify opportunities to incorporate your career goals into your
performance management plan.. Your manager may wish also to use a copy of your plan when s/he
has Talent Review Meetings for your division/department.
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The Guide
Step 1: Complete your Background Information
Purpose of this Your background information provides a context for where you should focus your
step career development. Your status in your current role and your career goals will
form the foundation for setting your development goals.
Review your ratings, actual results compared to targets, leadership competencies (if
The link to applicable). Summarize that information into a few sentences and write it in the
Performance space provided in Performance Summary.
Management
How to… Current & Future Career Goals
determine career Review your career interests and abilities to determine your career goals. Think
goal(s) and areas about both what you want your career to look like in the near future as well as your
of strength longer term goals.
Step 1 Example Your current career goals should be achievable in the short-term future (i.e. the next
1 to three years). The successful achievement of your short-term goals should lead
Current Career Goal: to your future career goals (i.e. take more than three years to complete.)
Move into supervisory
role in 2-3 years.
Strengths and areas for development
Future Career Goals:
Review your past performance to identify your strengths and areas for
Move into Director
development. Consider what knowledge, skills, leadership competencies and
level role in 10 years.
abilities you have excelled or struggled at in your career. Think about feedback you
have received (from peers, clients, direct reports, managers, etc) regarding your
Areas of Strength:
abilities. Identifying your strengths and areas for development is important in both
- Excellent technical
determining your career goals and prioritizing development goals.
expertise
- Leadership
competencies of
decisiveness and
strategic orientation.
Areas for
Development:
- Impact and Influence
What next? Add this information to Background Information section of the Career
Development Plan.
Additional Performance Management Resources: http://www.gov.ns.ca/psc/default.asp?
Resources mn=1.360.364
The Career Explorer http://www.gov.ns.ca/
psc/default.asp?mn=1.162.303.329
Step 2: Set your Development Goal
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Purpose of this Goal setting helps you determine your priorities, get organized, make big decisions,
step and realize your dreams. Goal setting gives you long-term vision and short-term
motivation. It focuses your acquisition of knowledge and helps you to organize
your resources. Ultimately, this step will help you clarify and understand the
direction of your career.
The link to Your performance management plan/targets or objectives are one source for
Performance developmental goals. At the same time, look for opportunities to incorporate your
Management development goals into your performance management plan.
How to…set a Writing goals starts with identifying your developmental needs. To do this, look at
goal any and all feedback information you have available to you.
Feedback-type What is it telling you? How do you interpret this information? What common
information may themes do you see? Is there an area of critical need that stands out? Who can
include: professional validate this for you? Based on this information, decide on your developmental
assessments; 360; areas. It could be a competency, a skill or talent that needs development.
MBTI; client feedback; Also consider organizational goals, government’s direction, the department’s
leadership competency business plan and the team or group objectives.
assessment.
Rank or prioritize your developmental needs/areas. Don’t focus on too many
developmental goals at once. An effective plan should focus on two or three goals.
Consider both your current or short-term goals (1 to 3 years) and future or long
-term (3+ years) goals. Short term goals may be directly related to your current job
or to a position you asprire to in the near future.
How to…write a Write SMART Goals – resource link to Performance Management Handbook
goal The Goal should be specific enough so that you know exactly what you’re striving
Step 2 Example for, measurable so you can tell exactly when the goal has been reached, action-
When in a group oriented to indicate an activity that will produce results, realistic in that it is
situation, be able to practical and can be achieved, and time (and resources) constrained meaning that it
present my ideas and has a definite deadline for completion and realizes limited availability of resources.
opinions in a manner Be as specific as possible and indicate what behaviours exemplify success in this
that impresses and area.
influences others.
What next? Add this information to Developmental Goal section of the Career Development
Plan. Use on page per goal.
Additional 1Competency Dictionary for Leadership Roles in the Public Service of Nova Scotia
Resources http://www.gov.ns.ca/psc/default.asp?mn=1.360.364.370#MCP_New
1The Career Explorer
http://www.gov.ns.ca/psc/default.asp?mn=1.162.303.329
Step 3: Write Your Action Steps
Purpose of this Once you have a well-formed Goal you need some direction to follow to achieve
step this Goal. The creation of Action Steps gives you a list of the important things that
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need to be done to achieve the Goal. It’s an action plan that allows you to track
your progress towards the goal. This is where you detail your project plan for your
own development.
The link to Your performance appraisal/management form may be a source of action steps.
Performance
Management
How to… An action step should have three main parts:
determine action Action – a verb that describe what action will be taken
steps
Context – when and where will it take place
Step 3 Example
Results – what will be the result of this action
1Attend monthly
meetings with Ms.
Super Presenter and Types of developmental activities or actions that can be used to build skills and
accompany her in 3 competencies include:
situations when a major
presentation/meeting is • Practical on-the-job experience (joining committee or project team)
taking place. • Coaching/mentoring sessions
• Special assignments (cross-functional team, task-force)
Make at least 3
presentations or chair 3 • Increased responsibility
meetings with her in • Self-directed study or reading
attendance and receive
feedback. • Training
• Job transitions – change in work, people, location, scope1
What next? Add this information to Action Steps section of the Career Development Plan.
Additional 1Competency Development Resource Guide1:
Resources http://www.gov.ns.ca/psc/default.asp?mn=1.360.364.370#MCP_New
Corporate Training and Development Programs
Step 4: List your Obstacles and Solutions
Purpose of this To help ensure that your career development goals are not sidetracked, it is helpful
step to consider the obstacles you may encounter in reaching your goals and identify
possible ways to overcome these obstacles.
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The link to Operational needs must be considered when planning for development. Certain
Performance goals or target dates may not be realistic given operational demands related to your
Management current position.
What’s an An obstacle is anything that may pose a barrier to achieving your career
obstacle? development goals, such as:
• Limited time to devote to development
• Lack of financial support
• Lack of feedback or encouragement
• Manager is unsupportive of development
• Racism or physical barriers
How to… There are usually a number of potential solutions for overcoming a barrier, such as:
overcome If you cannot take on additional developmental assignments due to your existing
obstacles and workload, a potential solution would be cross-training with another team member.
identify solutions If your budget for training courses is limited, potential solutions could include
Step 4 Example choosing low cost options such as online learning or reading a book.
Obstacle: No time for
If you anticipate that you will not receive sufficient feedback on your development,
development.
a potential solution would be to solicit feedback from a greater number of sources
than usual (i.e. peers, direct reports, mentor, subject matter experts, etc).
Solution: Schedule time
in your calendar If you think your manager may not be supportive of your development, a potential
specifically for solution would be to choose developmental activities that will directly benefit your
development and manager and your department, such as taking on a project that is under-resourced
ensure your manager or in trouble, or a task from your manager’s workload.
supports this time
commitment.
What next? Add this information to Obstacles and Solutions section of the Career
Development Plan.
Step 5: Identify your Resources
Purpose of this Identifying what resources are available to you will help to increase the probability
step of successfully achieving your career development goals. You need to think about
what types of resources you might need and where they will come from.
The link to Resources that require funding or a considerable time investment should be
Performance recorded in your performance management plan.
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Management
How to…identify A resource is anything that will support your development, such as:
resources • Funding/approval for training and development programs (e.g. Corporate
Training Calendar, Leadership Development Program, Leadership Continuity
Step 5 Example: Program, etc).
Support from existing • Motivational support and/or coaching from a mentor
ADM for establishing
mentor relationship • Support from your manager to take on new projects/assignments
with Ms. Super • Time to work on your development
Presenter and approval
to have her attend • Feedback and advice from those who are skilled in the areas you are seeking to
some of my develop
presentations. In • Corporate guidelines and toolkits for training and career development
addition, formal www.gov.ns.ca/psc/innovation/ or http://www.gov.ns.ca/PSC/default.asp?
agreement with Ms. P mn=1.360.364
to act as a mentor.
What next? Add this information to Resources section of the Career Development Plan
Worksheet.
Additional Corporate Training and Development Programs
Resources Competency Development Resource Guide1: http://www.gov.ns.ca/psc/default.asp?
mn=1.360.364.370#MCP_New
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Career Development Plan
Step 1: Complete Your Background Information
Use this section to capture your status
Purpose of this By evaluating your progress, you will be able to establish when you are successful in in your current role and your future
step meeting your training and career development goals. career goals. This will form the
foundation for setting your
The link to Your developmental goals and high level action steps should be recorded in your development goals.
Performance performance management plan for evaluation, especially those related to training
Management
Name: for your current role. Current Position: Date started:
How to… Evaluation is closely tied to goal setting. By setting S.M.A.R.T. (specific,
evaluate measurable, acceptable, realistic, and time-specific) goals, you will ensure that their
Performance Summary (refer to your Performanceyou do not think you will be able summarize)
Step 6 Examples
achievement can be evaluated. If Management forms and to evaluate a
goal, it probably isn’t meeting one of the S.M.A.R.T. guidelines.
Include ratings, summary of actual results compared to targets, and summary of leadership competencies (if applicable).
1. 1Receiving positive
feedback from mentor
on at least 2 In addition to your own self-evaluation, you should have another source for
presentations evaluation. In most cases, this person would be your manager. However, in some
Career Goal(s): CURRENT (shortmay wish to have a ‘mentor’ provide you with additional evaluation years)
cases, you term 1 to 3 years) FUTURE (long term 3 +
2. Successful feedback on one or more of your goals.
completion of
certificate program by a
specific date. Keep in mind that your career development plan is not a one-time activity, rather a
3. Receiving a document that records an evolving process. It may need to be revised as the year
satisfactory progresses if you experience change in your role or responsibilities, or if significant
performance appraisal changes to your objectives are required. Regular review and tailoring of your plan is
from Ex. Dir in the necessary to make your development as effective as possible.
Areas of Strength
following leadership Areas for Development
competency:
The performance management process at the beginning of the year (goal setting),
Impact and Influence, and at the mid-year and year-end reviews should be used to formally revisit your
level C: calculates career development plan. This will help to identify opportunities where your career
impact of actions or goals can be aligned with your performance management objectives.
words.
What next? Add this information to Evaluation section of the Career Development Plan
Worksheet.
Nova Scotia Government Career Development Plan 2005-06